The Trainer Fight Grand Prix!
by Jenaku
Summary: This time the trainers do the fighting instead of the Pokémon! Inspired loosely by the "reverse battles" found in the Latias' Journey fanfic. (This isn't an Altoshipping fanfic btw.) Ash and others will see what they're made of as they meet in the ring! Can Ash KO his opponents and win it all? Find out!
1. Chapter 1: An Unusual Kind of Battle

Pokemon belongs to Nintendo and Game Freak. This fanfic spun out of the idea of seeing Ash and others do the fighting for a change instead of the Pokemon. Inspired in part by the "reverse battles" in the Battle Palace as seen in the Latias' Journey fanfic by Ri2. But this time they'll actually fight and not end a match quite like that… lol Also introduces a few OCs as well to round out the cast. Will include some returning friends to join in the mix. (NOTE: This is NOT an altoshipping fanfic. It was only inspired by the reverse battle from that fanfic. It's about Ash and other trainers fighting each other in the ring.)

Ash, Pikachu, Clemont, Bonnie, and Serena are traveling through a forest path when they find that they might just be lost again. A scene that has played itself out all too often in his journey to become a Pokemon master…

"Okay! I think the nearest town is this way! Um… Or was it this way? Hold on. Let me check the map again…" Ash says as he checks the map in a less than certain tone.

"Here we go again…" Serena sighs at yet another of example of Ash's infamous sense of misdirection.

Getting lost again has also taken its toll in other ways, as some of the group's smaller members begin to complain about walking around in circles for what seems like an eternity.

"Are we lost?! I'm getting hungry, and so is Dedenne!" Bonnie whines as here small companion's stomach growls loudly.

"Denne!" the Electric Fairy type agrees from inside her bag.

Seeing the problem, Clemont decides to have a look at the map Ash is holding to offer his advice. Sure enough, he finds that Ash isn't exactly using it the right way.

"You know, it might help if you looked at the map the right way. It's upside down, Ash." Clemont corrects Ash as he uses a robotic arm from his Clemont Gear backpack to switch it right side up.

"Huh?! Oh! So it is! Heh heh! Sorry about that guys! Honest mistake. But at least we've taken the scenic route!" Ash puts an optimistic twist on their predicament he caused. Ever the eternal optimist!

"Pika Pi…" Pikachu rolls his eyes, having seen this scenario play out all too often during their many travels together.

Before Ash can lead them into who knows what next, the group hears a commotion coming from nearby, through the trees, that catches their attention.

"RHY!" they hear a Rhydon roar.

"CHAN!" a Hitmonchan also cries out.

From the ferocity in the Pokemon's voices it sounds like a battle is underway. Naturally, this immediately catches Ash's attention.

"Hey! What was that? Sounds like it's coming from over there! Come on! Let's go see what it is!" Ash charges ahead with Pikachu right behind him. Once again running ahead without giving a thought to what they'll find.

"Ash! Wait! We don't know what's over there! Why does he always do this?!" Serena asks before chasing after him.

"That's what I'd like to know. Let's make sure he doesn't get into trouble." Clemont sighs and follows, with Bonnie right behind him.

After running through the woods for a few minutes, they finally come to a clearing ahead. As they draw nearer, the sounds get louder of not only Pokemon shouting, but some people too.

"Whatever it is, it's just ahead! I'll bet it's some wild Pokemon! Or maybe a Pokemon battle! Yeah!" Ash says, starry eyed as he nears the edge of the forest.

Soon, Ash comes to a clearing right by the forest. He finally comes to the source of the all the noise they heard moments ago. But what he finds waiting for him is far from what he was expecting.

"What the…? WHOA!" Ash yells out as he takes the sight in.

Right behind him, still in the woods, Clemont and the others hear Ash yell and assume the worst like he's being attacked or something. Naturally, they run ahead to see what's the matter.

"Ash! Are you okay- and huh?!" Serena runs up beside him and then has a wide eyed look of surprise as she too sees what's happening before them.

Clemont next spills out of the forest, adjusting his Clemont Gear in case he needs a quick invention to help out in case of emergency.

"Don't worry! I'm working on something that'll help! And I- Wait, what?" he stops dead in his tracks too.

Right before them they see that the Pokemon shouting are indeed involved in a battle! But definitely not in the way that Ash and the others were expecting! No, instead of a pitched Pokemon battle between a Rhydon and Hitmonchan that would be like so many other battles, they are not fighting at all! Instead, they're standing on opposite sides of a boxing ring between them! And inside the ring, a couple of kids around Ash's age are duking it out in a fight to the finish! Dressed in shorts (one red and the other green) and boxing gloves, the two boys are trading blows in an intense match as their Pokemon cheer them on! Already both fighters have a few bruises and black eyes.

POW! The boy in the red shorts punches the other kid in the face, sending him to the canvas! A knockout punch! Ouch!

THUD!

"Huff… Huff… Yeah! That ought to do it!" the red fighter cheers as his opponent is clearly down and out!

"Rhy…" the Rhydon sighs nearby, its trainer having lost the fight.

"Um, what's going on here?!" Ash finally breaks their silence as he walks up to the side of the ring.

"Pika?" Pikachu also tilts its head in wonder.

"That's what I was wondering!" Clemeont agrees!

"Crazy!" Serena manages to say.

The winner in the ring finally notices he has an audience. He's about Ash's height and build. Tan skinned and has medium length spiky brown hair.

"Hm? Oh! Visitors! Um, I bet you're pretty confused by what you just saw! Well, I can explain! You see what we just had was a Trainer Fight! Part of the Trainer Fight Grand Prix! And my name's Jason!" the boy says to Ash and the others below.

"I'm Ash! This is Pikachu, Clemont, Bonnie, and Serena!" Ash responds, introducing them.

"Hi…" Serena says, not sure what to say.

"Hello!" Bonnie replies.

"Pleased to meet you. I think." Clemont adds.

"So what's this about a Trainer Fight…?" Ash gets right to the point.

"And why on earth were the two of you fighting like that?!" Clemont chimes in.

"Okay! Well, you see I'm from a town around here called Pugil Town! And around these parts, we do Pokemon battles like everyone else. But we also do things a little differently. You see, we also have Trainer Fights! That's kind of like a reverse battle. Ordinarily, Pokemon do all the battling. But in a Trainer Fight, it's the trainers that do the fighting instead, and the Pokemon cheer from the sidelines!" Jason explains.

"The trainers fight?!" Ash asks, not believing what he's hearing.

"That sounds crazy!" Serena says, a look of surprise on her face.

Jason takes his gloves off and gets his bag from his corner before answering. Then he takes out an ice pack and walks over to help his unconscious opponent.

"That's what some people say. But it can be pretty cool. We've even got our own set of rules too. Pretty straightforward actually. The Fights are pretty open ended, almost anything goes. But you can't use weapons. Has to be hand to hand. Only people can fight, with no help from Pokemon. Plus the matches have to happen in a ring. All matches are fought until knockout. Oh, and you have to wear different clothes too for freedom of movement and so stuff doesn't get ripped up in the roughhousing. Foe guys, it's only shorts and boxing gloves. Tank tops included for for girl competitors. Matches are fought in a boxing ring too. We've got something like a League around here. Keeps tracks of your wins and losses. We hold a few fighting tournaments in the town arena where all the registered fighters from all over compete to see who's the strongest! Just so happens that we're holding an open tournament right now where anybody can fight! Er, fighters are all matched according to age of course." Jason offers a long explanation as he helps treat his opponent's injuries.

"Chan!" Jason's Hitmonchan adds.

"That's…" Ash begins to say.

"Definitely not your usual kind of battle." Clemont comments.

"AWESOME!" Ash says, looking really eager and getting that look in his face again.

"Uh oh…" Serena knows what's coming next.

"So anyone can join right?! Then it's settled! I'm gonna enter the fighting tournament! Yeah! This'll be fun!" Ash throws a few punches in the air to his excitement.

"Pika pika…" Pikachu says in a 'Here we go again…' tone.

"What?!" Clemont can't believe what he's hearing.

"This might not end well." Bonnie shakes her head.

"Are you sure about this?" Serena tries to reason with Ash.

"You bet! I know I can do it! I've been doing Pokemon battles for a while! But me doing the fighting for a change? That's too awesome to pass up! Where do I sign up?" Ash asks Jason.

"You certainly are the excitable type aren't you? Well you can register at the Pokemon Center in town." Jason sweatdrops and replies.

"Thanks! This'll be great! I can't wait to fight!" Ash runs across the field without so Ummuch as a plan.

Soon Ash comes to a stop after running for a bit. He begins to realize he has absolutely no idea where the Center let alone the Town is.

"Um… Where is the town again?" Ash asks.

"Gyah!" Everyone falls over in surprise at Ash's goofiness…

TO BE CONTINUED…


	2. Chapter 2: Some New and Old Friends

Here's the next Chapter! We learn more about the fighting tournament and meet a few more people. What's Ash gotten himself into this time? Again, this fanfic is about Ash and other trainers fighting each other in the ring instead of their Pokémon. This Chapter's more of a character introduction Chapter of sorts, so there's not much action in it.

Chapter 2: Some New and Old Friends Appear

"Come again?!" Clemont asks Ash, confused as to what he just heard.

"You guys heard me! I'm gonna fight! Sounds like fun, so I'll give it a try!" Ash confidently answers.

Upon hearing this, Serena begins to have more doubts that Ash is in over his head once again. As he so often finds himself, charging through life.

"Are you sure? I mean it looks kind of well, painful. You'd probably get hurt." Serena.

"It's fighting. Of course it's going to hurt! But I can take it! I've been through worse before after all Ha ha!" Ash insists. Then he gives one of his trademark cocky laughs.

"Do you even know how to fight?" Bonnie asks, raising a skeptical eyebrow.

"Yeah I do! Um, sort of. I learned some boxing basics back in Pallet tow. I had a couple short practice matches with Gary. Didn't go too much further than that though. I know enough that I even taught Pikachu a special punch!" Ash thinks back to his boxing experience. (This actually happened WAY back in the first season of Pokemon, when Ash taught Pikachu a punch. The rest is stuff I made up.)

"Pika?! Pi!" Pikachu replies in a startled shriek, like 'Are you kidding me?! That HItmonchan knocked me out!'

"You're a boxing expert now?" Clemont comments.

"Basics huh? Nice! To be honest that's a good start. Not a whole lot of people have previous fighting experience. But that doesn't stop some of them from being pretty tough! Never underestimate an opponent. That goes for Pokemon battles and Trainer Fights too." Jason nods his approval.

"Still sounds kind of rough to me. But if you really want to do it, then I can probably help. I'm sure I could come up with a device to help you train, Ash!" Clemont offers to make another invention.

"Sure, knock yourself out. Gah! I mean, we're behind you Ash!" Serena stumbles a bit after some poor word choice.

"Thanks guys! Okay, so where is the Town again?" Ash asks Jason.

Jason works to help his opponent recover from the intense match, in a show of good sportsmanship. He gives him an ice pack and helps wake him up too.

"Be with you in just a sec! There you go." Jason helps his opponent on his feet.

"What… Who?" the boy in the green shorts asks as he warily comes back to his senses. He's also about Ash's size and age, lighter skinned and has longer blonde hair.

"Rhy!" the boy's Rhydon runs over to help his master get on his feet.

"Heh! I knocked you out. Helped you get back up." Jason explains, finally able to stand on his own.

"Ah! I lost! Darn! Looks like it's back to more training for me. Oh! We had an audience! Hello! My name's Jimmy!" Jimmy introduces himself when he sees Ash and company.

"HI! I'm Ash! This is Clemont, Serena, and Bonnie! This here is my good pal Pikachu!" Ash introduces them all.

"Hi! Guess you all saw me get knocked out. Heh! Can't win them all I guess. Was an awesome match though, Jason! See you later! And maybe I'll see you guys again too! Rydon return! Later!" Jimmy bids them farewell as he collects his things and leaves the ring, returning back to town.

With his opponent up and walking, Jason turns his attention back to Ash and friends. He puts his shirt and shoes back on and jumps out of the ring, landing beside Ash.

"Okay! Hitmonchan, return!" he recalls his faithful Pokemon.

"Chan!" the boxing Pokemon happily goes into its pokeball.

Ash once again pulls out his map to try and get an idea of where they are exactly. Of course there's the issue of Ash having already proven he can't decipher the map correctly. Seeing this, Jason shakes his head in wonder and then offers to take them back to town himself.

"You know, I can take you back to town myself. I'm heading back there now anyway. The Pokemon Center's right on the edge so I can drop you off there. It's right over the hill this way!" Jason motions them to follow him to a nearby road leading to Pugil Town.

Clemont, Serena, Bonnie, and even Pikachu all breathe a sigh of relief knowing they're at least with somebody who knows where he's going for a change. No more walking in circles in the forest! After a few minutes, the gang finally reach the top of the hill and see Pugil Town! It's a relatively large little town with a few skyscrapers, a residential area with houses, and shops. Not too far from their current location they see the Pokemon center too.

"Hey, what's that big building over there? The one in the middle of everything?" Bonnie notices a large open air stadium-like building.

"Oh that's the arena! It's used for Pokemon battles, and the latest Trainer Fight Grand Prix will be held there in the next few days too! It's where you'll be fighting if you sign up, Ash!" Jason explains.

"Neat! Looks pretty big so there'll be a good crowd too!" Ash nods his approval.

"Well, I have to get going. There's a kiosk in the Center where you can register to fight too! Later" Jason leaves them.

A few moments later, Ash and the others drop off their Pokemon for a much needed recovery in the Center, and Ash finds the sign up kiosk off to the left of the entrance. It's a computer console with a touchscreen where competitors can sign up and get their picture taken to print out a fighter card, the proof of entry into the Trainer Fight Grand Prix tournament. Ever the hyperactive and eager spirit, Ash runs toward the Kiosk to sign up, not noticing there's already a boy standing in front of the Kiosk. He's also about Ash's height, short brown hair, blue eyes, light skinned, wearing a red hoodie with blue shorts and sneakers.

"Hm… Sh-should I enter this year or not? I don't know. I always wanted to fight, but…" the boy nervously hovers his finger over the YES button to finalize his registration as a Fighter.

Ash doesn't see the kid until he's right on top of him, and by then it's too late to stop! Look out!

"Huh? Whoa! Look out! Aaah!" Ash yells!

"Pika!" Pikachu cries, leaping off Ash's shoulder to escape the collision!

CRASH!

"Gyah! Wh-NO!" the kid flails before falling forward and his hand lands on the YES button!

BEEP!

"Registration completed! " the kiosk announces, and prints out a Fighter card of the boy, along with an embarrassing picture of him falling down!

THUD!

The two finally land in a heap right in front of the kiosk.

"Ow… Sorry about that!" Ash says, rubbing his head.

"N-no! No! No! No! I-I'm registered now! *Gulp!*" the kid looks like he's about to panic.

"What's the matter?" Ash asks, perplexed at the reaction he's seeing.

"I was going to… *Sigh!* Never mind. No going back now…" the kid slumps his shoulders.

"Okay… Well, my name's Ash! I didn't hurt you or anything did I?" Ash introduces himself.

"No. I'm fine. And my name's Jake! Hello!" the boy says, dusting himself off.

"Cool! So you're entered in the tournament too. I'm about to register too!" Ash says, walking up and starting his own entry.

BEEP!

"Pika!" Pikachu chimes in at Ash's entry.

"There! All ready to go! Say Jake, maybe we'll fight each other! Fair warning, I have boxing experience and I hit pretty hard. You'd better say your prayers if you face me!" Ash announces, boasting about being tough despite not being in a Fight yet…

"*Gulp!* Y-yeah… Heh heh." Jake gulps nervously.

Over at the Center counter, nurse Joy returns the Pokemon to Clemont and Serena. They're also watching Ash talk to Jake on the other side of the room.

"Looks like Ash has made a friend already. In typical fashion too." Serena comments.

"Yeah. Or opponent if they end up in the ring." Clemont nods.

"Hm? Oh dear. He's finally been entered in the tournament!" Nurse Joy says, also watching the two.

"What?" Clemont asks.

"You're not from around here. Well, that boy over there is Jake. He's a regular around here. Sweet kid and pretty good trainer too. But he's also a really big fan of the Trainer Fight Grand Prix too. Ever since he was younger he's been talking about how awesome it is." Nurse Joy explains.

"Then he must be pretty stoked to compete!" Serena concludes.

"You'd think yes. It's pretty obvious that he's been really interested in fighting, but every year for a while now he's never completed a registration. He always ran out of the Center. He's just been too nervous to go ahead with it. I don't believe he's ever been in a fight either. It was tough watching him like that. But now by your friend running into him, he's finally entered. Maybe that'll give him the nudge to finally see it through." Nurse Joy continues.

"That sounds like Ash to unintentionally help someone like that." Clemont laughs.

"Yup!" Bonnie agrees.

Back at the Kiosk, Jake takes his leave, having inadvertently been set on the course to fulfill one of his goals from an accident by Ash.

"Hm. Well, thank you Ash! See you again Later!" Jake smiles and bids Ash farewell for the time being, having finally gotten the push (literally) he needed to enter the Trainer Fight!

"Thank me? For what? Weird." Ash tilts his head in wonder.

"Pika?" Pikachu is also confused.

After Jake leaves, Ash reunites with his comrades, ready to explore the rest of the Town.

"Hey guys! I'm all signed up and ready to go! Even ran into this weird kid who thanked me for something. All I did was run into him." Ash says.

"So we saw. And you did help him. Er, we'll explain it later." Clemont says.

Just then, someone else enters the Pokemon Center. A familiar face from Ash's past in fact…

"Okay! Finally found the Pokemon Center! Now to get you and everyone else all rested. And see about signing up for this Trainer Fight too!" the familiar boy in green clothes and green cap says to himself at the entrance.

"Pikachu!" says the Pikachu perched atop his shoulder.

"Wait a minute… Is that… HEY! Ritchie!" Ash runs over to his old friend.

"Hm? Ash!" Ritchie says, surprised to see him again after a while. (Long overdue reunion. )

TO BE CONTINUED…


	3. Chapter 3: Training Time!

Okay! Finally see some action in this Chapter! Some sparring and we see that some might need more practice!

And a recap of the rules:

The Trainers fight instead of the Pokémon.

All fights are hand to hand. No weapons allowed.

Matches are fought in a boxing ring.

Fight until knockout.

Fighting attire: Shorts and boxing gloves for the guys. Add tank tops for girls.

Actual tournament will take place soon, with the usual bracket of Fighters paired off until there's two battling it out for the finals.

Until then, trainers can fight or spar in boxing rings around town.

* * *

Chapter 3: Training Would Probably be a Good Idea!

After having just registered to fight in the Trainer Fight Grand Prix tournament, Ash sees an old friend entering the Pokemon Center! Ritchie! Whom he hasn't seen for quite some time! (Although in Pokemon world years it's probably only been a year or two.) They catch up, learning a little bit of what Ritchie has been up to during all that time.

"Ritchie! Awesome to see you! It's been a while! How have you been? What are you doing here?" Ash greets him.

"Yeah it has! I've been doing good. Did some travelling, went to Sinnoh and Unova, and now I'm on a journey through Kalos! I'm competing in the Kantos league too! Been a while since I challenged some gyms. I was in the area around here when I heard about the Trainer Fight! Thought it would be fun to give it a try, see if I can hold my own in a fight! So here I am to join in!" Ritchie explains.

"Pika!" Pikachu greets Ritchie's Pikachu, Sparky.

"Ka! Chu!" Sparky happily squeaks.

Clemont and the others soon walk over, seeing that Ash catching up with the old acquaintance. Seeing them approach, Ash introduces them all.

"Hey guys! Over here! This is Ritchie! He's an old friend, and we go way back! I knew him back in Kanto and we battled in the League final too! Although I did lose to him. Ritchie, this is Clemont, Serena, and Clemont's little sister, Bonnie!" Ash adds.

"Pleased to meet you!" Clemont shakes his hand.

"HI! Oh! Another Pikachu!" Bonnie excitedly says.

"So you're from Kanto too! Cool!" Serena greets him.

"Yeah! Looks like you've been doing a lot of traveling too, Ash! Some things never change!" Ritchie observes.

"You could say that! So! You're joining in the Trainer Fight too huh? That's great! Maybe we'll end up fighting each other! Be cool to duke it out with you!" Ash throws some punches in the air.

"Um, yeah… The thing is, I've never really been in a fight… I mean by myself like the Trainer Fight will have us. Eh heh…" Ritchie sweatdrops as he admits his inexperience in actual fighting.

"Really?! Hm… Well I've had some boxing experience back in Pallet Town. I know! Maybe I could give you some pointers!" Ash offers.

"You could? That'd be awesome! It really would help to get some practice in I think. I mean I don't want to go down for the count too soon, you know what I mean?" Ritchie adds.

"Pika!" Sparky nods in agreement.

"Chu!" Pikachu also agrees warily, knowing boxing lessons from Ash don't always end well.

"Would be a good idea to get the hang of some things." Clemont adds.

Soon, Ritchie signs up and gets his Fighter Card, and the gang all meet up outside the Pokemon Center to decide what to do next. They also find that Ash might not be as prepared as he claims to be, no big surprise there. Helps to have friends that can help you get back on track though!

"Right! We should probably find an area to practice in first. How about that spot over near the woods there?" Ash sees a nearby open field they can use for training.

"Sounds good! Hm… Um, wait a second. Am I going to have to get changed? I mean, I've got shorts I plan to fight in, but I don't exactly have boxing gloves… Heh!" Ritchie confesses.

"You don't? Well I've… WAIT! I don't have boxing gloves either! Oh no!" Ash tips his backpack over, forgetting that he doesn't have a pair of gloves either. Ever the clueless one.

"Good thing for you two there's a stand selling boxing gloves right over there! They must be for fighters who forget to bring their own." Clemont sees a vendor on the corner of the street nearby.

"Phew!" Ash breathes a sigh of relief.

A little while later, they get ready to train in the field. Serena, Clemont, and Bonnie are all sitting on the side, wondering just how Ash intends to help Ritchie. Pikachu and Sparky are also standing by, ready to provide support for their respective trainers. Ash and Ritchie have meanwhile changed into their fighting attire, Ash in yellow shorts with red stripes on the sides and classic red boxing gloves. Ritchie's in a green pair of shorts with white stripes and also has red boxing gloves.

"Okay! Now we're ready to go!" Ash announces, throwing a few punches in the air, eager to get going.

"If you say so. Hope I don't catch a cold." Ritchie sighs.

"You won't! Alright! Now, first thing's first! The best way to see good you are is to have us a quick spar!" Ash says with a big grin on his face.

"Huh?! Y-you want to FIGHT me?! Now?!" Ritchie can't believe what he's hearing. Trial by fire it is!

On the sidelines, the others are taken by surprise too. Ash does tend to rush into things.

"Uh-oh. This might not be too pretty." Serena says.

"Hope he remembers it's a spar and doesn't go too rough on him." Clemont adds.

"Fight! Fight!" Bonnie cheers them on.

Ash gets his gloves up and assumes a boxing position, clearly ready to rumble!

"Come on Ritchie! It's only a spar! Now come at me and show me what you got! I know a thing or two about boxing, so don't worry!" Ash eagerly says.

"Okay! If that's what you want." Ritchie gets his gloves and puts on his game face.

DASH!

"Yaaaahhhhh!" Ritchie charges at Ash, closing his eyes and madly flailing his arms to try and hit what's in front of him.

Seeing this, Ash quickly steps to the side and easily avoids his charging friend. Then he throws a quick right straight into Ritchie's gut!

WHUMP!

"Ungh!" Ritchie grunts from the hit.

"Pika…" Sparky sighs, seeing his master making a sloppy assault.

Ash shakes his head at Ritchie's sloppy attack. He's going to need some practice alright!

"*Sigh!* Now let's try that again!" Ash says as Ritchie recovers.

"Okay! Yaaah!" Ritchie comes at Ash, this time coming at him with his eyes open and a curving right punch aimed at the face!

POW!

The punch connects right in Ash's face, knocking him down! Success!

"Aaagh!" Ash cries out on the way down. As he gets up he notices that his nose is bleeding a bit.

"Are you okay?! I didn't hit you too hard did I?" Ritchie asks.

"Nah, I'm good. I let you have that one!" Plus it's fight, so we're supposed to hit each other like that." Ash pretends he left himself open and laughs.

On the sides, the others roll their eyes. Ash obviously was caught by surprise…

"Oh brother! Looks like they both could use some practice." Clemont sighs.

"This could get messy." Serena adds.

Ash and Ritchie once again square off and this this time they both charge at each other!

"Time to go on the offensive! Yeah!" Ash charges at Ritchie

DASH!

"Right!" Ritchie likewise charges at Ash!

POW!

POW!

They both run into each other, connecting with different punches! Ash manages to hit Ritiche in the face with a left jab, and Ritchie catches Ash in the side with a sloppy right that miraculously finds the mark. Hope they remember it's only a spar…

"Oof!" Ash yells.

"Aagh!" Ritchie grunts.

Elsewhere, Jason is walking down the road on his way home in town, when he sees his cousin, Jake (the kid Ash ran into) nervously pacing back and forth in front of a stand, unsure of what boxing gloves to get. He really does need a little push sometimes.

"Hm? Hey cuz! What's up!" Jason energetically asks Jake.

"Gah! Oh, Jason! Hi! I was um, trying to decide-" Jake tries to explain.

"Eh?! You finally did it?! You signed up to fight didn't you?! Good for you! Knew you had it in you! All those times you chickened out. I knew you wanted to do fight, the way you go on about it!" Jason slaps Jake on the back in congratulations.

"Something like that. But I don't know what gloves to get and…" Jake tries to make an excuse.

"Really? They're all the same. Here! These will do!" Jason gives some money to the vendor and gets a pair of gloves for Jake.

"Okay! Thanks!" Jake responds.

"We need to get you going! Best to jump right in I always say! You got the gloves, so let's find a ring and get to it!" Jason announces.

"Huh?! Y-you want to fight me?! But I just got registered and I don't know how to-" Jake tries to explain.

But Jason won't hear it. He grabs his cousin by the hood of his sweatshirt and drags him along to the nearest ring. A lot of that going around!

"Urk! Wait!" Jake yelps.

"It'll be fine! I'll hold back, honest! But you do want to fight as soon as possible, right?!" Jason says.

"I- Well, I guess… I mean it would be good to finally be in a fight and all." Jake starts to come around.

"That's the spirit!" Jason smiles as he drags his cousin along.

Soon they come to a nearby boxing ring. Jason plops Jake down ringside and tells him to get ready to spar. Looks like he's the go getter type like Ash!

"This will do nicely! Okay cuz. Get changed and then we'll spar!" Jason tells Jake while he does the same.

Moments later they're in the ring and ready to fight!

"Sure you're ready to go, cuz? I-" Jason tries to explain.

But suddenly, Jake is already charging forward and right on top of him!

"Yaaah!" Jake cries as he charges at him!

DASH!

POW!

He manages to connect with a quick punch to Jason's face. This causes him to stumble back a couple feet in surprise.

"Dang! Whoa! Nice one there! I guess you really are ready to fight!" Jason smirks his approval.

"Thanks! I guess I just needed a little nudge. But it's really awesome to FINALLY be duking it out in the ring!" Jake smiles.

"That's good, but you know what?" Jason says as he approaches.

"No, what?" Jake tilts his head in wonder.

"Always keep your guard up in a fight. Yeah!" Jason shouts.

He quickly punches Jake in the ribs and clips his chin with an uppercut, sending him to the canvas! A knockdown!

"Ooff!" Jake cries as he lands.

"Now let's try it once more. Um, cuz?" Jason sees that Jake is apparently down for the count.

He forgot to pull his punch and KOed him! Oops!

"Uh oh. Sorry about that. I got a little carried away." He says as he goes to help him up.

(Looks like everyone needs some training! Good thing there's a few days to go before the big match! Will the training pay off? Stay tuned!"

TO BE CONTINUED!


	4. Chapter 4: Prepare for Trouble!

Some familiar sinister faces drop in and try to spoil the party! You didn't really think there'd be a Pokemon story without them dropping by did you?

* * *

Chapter 4: Prepare For Trouble!

Ash and Richie have been sparring for a little while, and from the looks of it, they've got their work cut out for them…

"Huff… Huff… Ow!" Richie flinches from the beating he took in the spar. He's out of breath and has a couple bruises.

"Wow. You really do need some practice. But don't worry! I'll help get you into fighting shape!" Ash laughs, only having the sore nose from the spar. His boxing experience helped him against the inexperienced Richie. It's also made him a bit cocky…

"If you say so. I just hope I can improve before I get in the ring for real. I could use a break." Richie says as he goes to fetch his clothes.

"Well, that was certainly, um something. Ash, it looks like you do have a good basic of fighting after all! But you should still be careful. Some of the other Fighters might not be such easy opponents. Still think it would be a good idea for me to come up with something to measure your guys' progress." Clemont reasons.

"Ah, you worry too much! I'll be fine!" Ash brushes it off as he takes his gloves off.

"Pika pi…" Pikachu sighs.

"Chu!" Sparky agrees.

"Well that looked like a good workout! What say we all head over and get some ice cream?" Serena stands up and suggests they take a refreshing break.

"Sounds good to me!" Richie agrees.

"Count me in!" Ash adds.

"I do! I do!" Bonnie cheers.

Nearby, the group is being watched via binoculars in the possession of a very familiar felonious feline… (What, you thought they wouldn't appear?)

"Looks like the twerp was fightin' with his old friend, what's his name, Richie! Looked kind of rough." Meowth observes.

"Well according to this, it's part of a tournament called the Trainer Fight Grand Prix. Apparently the trainers fight in the ring while the Pokemon watch. Interesting…" Jessie explains.

"Hm… It does sound different. But you know what? I'll bet that after all that roughhousing, the trainers won't exactly be in any shape to stop somebody from, say, liberating their Pokemon. Think of all the Pokemon we could swoop in and take from under their noses! We could start with them here!" James ponders.

"Yeah, that sounds good! Those two definitely don't look like they're ready to jump into giving orders in battle. We'd still have the tech nerd and the new girl to worry about though." Jessie points out.

"It's still only two of them in any shape to stop us. Plus we've got our new toy here!" Meowth pats a strange looking metallic box next to them.

"And this time we'll get two Pikachus for the price of one!" James chimes in, displaying their ongoing obsession in getting Pikachu.

"Wobbufet! Wobb!" Jessie's Pokemon cries out.

The three smile sinisterly as they prepare to ambush the unsuspecting heroes. Soon, Ash and Richie are changed back into their normal clothes and are on their way to a nearby ice cream stand, when…

"Ice cream! Get your delicious ice cream here! We've even got a special on Castelia Cones too! Hurry while they last!" Jessie announces in a clever (yeah right) disguise that she, James, and Meowth just whipped up. And Wobbuffet is dressed like a giant ice cream cone mascot that you think anybody would be able to see through.

"Hm? Castelia Cones? That sounds great! I'll take one!" Ash runs over to the stand, clueless as ever for what's in store.

"I haven't had one in a while either! Make that two. Huff… " Richie joins him. (Seriously does anybody ever recognize these guys?)

"I'll take a sundae please! With chocolate on top!" Serena joins.

"Fen!" her Fennekin jumps out and also wants some.

"I'll have a popsicle please!" Bonnie orders.

"Hm… Think I'll have a cone too." Clemont orders.

"Coming right up young man!" James replies in an old man disguise.

"Our ice cream is the best around!" Meowth adds in, while adjusting something beneath the counter of their 'stand'.

"Oh boy!" Ash anticipates the taste of the dessert.

While Ash and company aren't paying attention, something manages to sneak up behind Ash and Richie. Then…

"Oh, you know there's something else that would go well with your ice cream, boys." Jessie, still in disguise, says to them.

"What's that?" Ash asks.

"Oh, just a little… Leech Seed! NOW!" Jessie cries out!

WHOOSH!

VWOOSH!

"Kaboo!" Jessie's Pumpkaboo leaps up and fires a couple leech seeds at Ash and Richie!

ZZT!

"N-no…" Richie cries out as he falls to the ground, still tired from the sparring match.

"What.." Ash likewise falls to his knees, weakened from the match so it doesn't take much to drain him.

"Hey!" Serena finally notices something amiss.

"Fen!" her Fennekin starts to growl.

"Pika!" Pikachu angrily shouts.

"Chu!" Sparky starts sparking his cheeks, ready to defend his master.

"Oh dear! What's all the commotion going on here? Perhaps this could all be resolved with a little Ink Spray!" James yells!

Suddenly James' Inkay pops up from one of the ice cream cones and shoots a stream of ink into the eyes of Pikachu and Sparky temporarily blinding them!

"Okay! That does it! Chespin! Come out!" Clemont releases his Chespin.

"Ches!" the Pokemon responds, ready for battle.

"Just who are you guys?!" Clemont asks.

"Bad guys!" Bonnie yells.

"You can't tell already? Okay…" James sighs.

"Prepare for trouble!" Jessie says and quickly sheds her disguise, and it's almost as if nefarious music and crazy backgrounds appear to accompany the sinister trio's motto.

"And make it double!" James also disposes of his getup.

"To protect the world form devastation!" Jessie continues.

"To unite all peoples within our nation!" James

"To denounce the evils of truth and love!" Jessies goes on.

"To extend our reach to the stars above!" James says.

"Jessie!" Jessie introduces herself.

"James!" yells James.

"Team Rocket, blast off at the speed of light!" Jessie says.

"Surrender now or prepare to fight!" James adds.

"Meowth! That's right!" Meowth backflips to join the two.

"Wobbuffet!" Wobbuffet bursts out of its disguise and finishes the motto.

"Team Rocket…" Ash says weakly.

"Not them again…" Richie tries to get up.

"Fennekin!" Serena commands.

"Chespin!" Clemont orders.

"Not so fast!" Meowth grins, and produces a large remote with a red button. He hits the button and…

BEEP!

WHOOSH!

KLANG!

The ice cream stand suddenly begins quickly changing shape, with parts expanding and rearranging almost at random until it transforms into a large octopus like robot! The robot quickly hurls four large tentacles to catch Pikachu, Sparky, Fennekin, and Chespin!

WHOOSH!

"Fen!" the Fennekin cries out.

"Ches!" Chespin struggles to try and free itself.

"Oh no!" Serena shouts.

"No!" Clemont says as he moves to use another Pokemon.

"Oh no you don't!" Meowth presses another button, and three more tentacles shoot out to grab Clemont, Bonnie, and Serena! Everyone's been caught!

"No! Big brother!" Bonnie cries.

Nearby, Jake, still in his fighting attire, is running ahead of Jason around the area, jogging as part of a mini-training regimen. Jason is shouting through a megaphone while running after him! Jake is clearly exhausted from the workout, and they soon come upon the scene with Team Rocket and the others!

"Huff…. I can't run anymore! Please can we take a break?" Jake says, tired out from the continuous exercise.

"No way! Just a little more and … eh?" Jason stops, seeing the commotion going on a few yards ahead.

"Chan?" Hitmonchan comes up beside him and squints to see.

"Is that Ash and friends? And a robot?! They're in trouble! Come on!" Jason tosses the megaphone aside and runs over to help, Hitmonchan right on his heels.

"Ash?! I'm coming too!" Jake takes a couple breaths and then runs after him.

Back at the scene of the ambush, Team Rocket gloats over their apparent victory. Though that doesn't last long as Jason quickly arrives on the scene and…

"Hitmonchan! Use Fire Punch to free those two!" Jason commands.

"Chan!" Hitmonchan obeys.

FWOOSH!

Ash and Richie are freed from the leech seed's grasp, though they're not in shape to do much.

"Ohh… Team Rocket…" Ash groans.

"They've got our Pokemon…" Richie continues.

"Leave it to us!" Jason gives them a thumb's up.

"More twerps?! Inkay! Use Psybeam!" James commands.

"Kay!" Inkay responds.

"Mach Punch! Now!" Jason orders his Hitmonchan!

"Hit!" Hitmonchan acknowledges.

WHOOSH!

POW!

"Kaay!" Inkay is instantly KOed by the Super Effective speedy punch attack!

"Shadow Ball! Now!" Jessie orders her Pumpkaboo!

"Boo!" it responds.

WHOOSH!

The Shadow Ball hits Hitmonchan head on, knocking it back!

"Chaan!" the punchy Pokemon cries.

"Now to snatch up that one too!" Meowth presses a button to send another tentacle over.

THOOM!

THOOM!

Suddenly, Tyrantrum emerges from the trees behind the octobot!

"There you are big guy! Took the scenic route again! Use Crunch on that thing, whatever it is!" Jake orders his Pokemon.

"Raar!" it obeys.

SKRUNCH!

KLANG!

Its rock solid jaws and teeth make short work of the robot's head! It was designed to withstand some attacks, but not that! This causes the robots' tentatacles to loosen up, freeing the two Pikachus, Serena, Clemont, and their Pokemon!

"Whoa! Where'd that come from?!" Meowth does a double take.

"We're free!" Clemont shouts.

"About time!" Bonnie chimes in.

"Why you…! Use Shadow Ball, Pumpkaboo!" Jessie orders.

"Ember, Fennekin!" Serena yells.

FWOOSH!

Jessie's Pumpkaboo is KOed by the Super Effective attack!

"No!" Jessie growls.

"Yeah! Attack that one with Crunch!" Jake tells Tyrantrum to attack Wobbuffet.

"Counter!" Jessie orders.

"Wobb!" it obeys.

BOOM!

"Rarr!" Tyrantrum is thrown back by the Counter returning its attack.

"Wobb!" Wobbuffet cries in victory. However…

"Pika!" Pikachu cries, appearing behind Wobbuffet!

"Chu!" Sparky appears on its other side!

"Iron Tail!" Ash commands!

"Thunder!" Richie tells Sparky!

KLANG!

BZZAT!

"Wobb!" Wobbuffet shouts as it's KOed by a two pronged physical and special assault it can't counter at the same time.

"Uh oh!" Jessie gulps, realizing they're out of useable Pokemon.

"Oh no! We-" James adds.

"This ain't good-" Meowth says.

"Gotcha!" Jake says as he sneaks up on Meowth and punches him in the face with his glove!

POW!

"Gah! No! The remote!" Meowth cries, as the impact causes him to drop the remote and it lands on the ground, sending a signal that overloads the Octobot!

BZZT!

"Huh?" James sees the robot start to spark and smoke.

"Razor Leaf!" Clemont orders Chespin.

"Ember!" Serena orders her Fennnekin.

WHOOSH!

BOOM!

The combo attack knocks Team Rocket and they're Pokemon into the Octobot and…

KABOOM!

They're sent flying into the sky like so many times before!

"Well I didn't see that coming!" James comments.

"Clearly you've forgotten our past exploits." Jessie remarks angrily.

"Here we go again! We've been KOed this time!" Meowth cries out!

"Looks like Team Rocket's blasting off agaiiin!" they all cry together as they're launched into the horizon.

DING!

With an accompanying sparkle of light of course!

"And there they go!" Ash says.

"Good riddance." Richie adds.

"Thank you for saving us!" Clemont turns to Jake and Jason.

"Aw it was nothing! Saw you were in trouble and had to help!" Jason responds.

"Yup! And we just got back from sparring too! Of course Jason had me run a few laps, and wouldn't even let me change back! We were running through when we saw you guys." Jake chimes in.

"Hm. A jog eh?" Ash looks at Richie with grin.

"I'm not jogging now! I want to rest!" Richie tells Ash to stop.

"Well, we would've been in trouble if it weren't for you!" Serena thanks them too.

"Yeah! That was so cool!" Bonnie cheers.

"Impressive! You've got some strong Pokemon!" Clemont comments.

GRR!

Ash's stomach grumbles loudly and reminds everyone that they're all kind of hungry.

"Um, listen. Could we go grab some ice cream or something? I'm starving!" Ash says.

"Pika!" Pikachu nearly falls over.

"Uh sure. There's a parlor nearby we can take you to! This way!" Jason motions them to follow!

"I'll be right with you guys!" Jake runs off to finally change back to his normal clothes.

"So you guys were training too?" Ash asks Jason.

"Yeah, but we've got some work to do. And no offense to you and your friend…?" Jason replies.

"My name's Richie!" Richie introduces himself."

"Hi! I'm Jason! And that's my cousin Jake. Like I was saying, I'm afraid that you and your friend Richie don't stand a chance against me and my cousin. If you end up fighting us, say your prayers!" Jason smirks.

"Oh yeah?! We'll see about that!" Ash responds with his own confident grin. It's on!

"Hey! Don't count me out just yet!" Richie chimes in.

"Oh brother…" Clemont sighs at a new rivalry sparking up.

(Well, looks like Team Rocket couldn't resist making another snatch attempt! But with their new friends, Ash and company were able to send them flying! But they've also made some new rivals in Jason and Jake! How will this play out in the upcoming tournament? Stay tuned!)

TO BE CONTINUED...


	5. Chapter 5: A Champion Appears!

Another familiar face enters the scene, and Ash once again runs headlong into something! Does he ever slow down to think things through? Plus it looks like another of Ash's friends might want to join the tournament too...

* * *

Chapter 5: A Champion Appears! And Time to Fight Already?!

Soon Ash and the others are enjoying some real ice cream in a nearby parlor, free from tricks of people trying to steal Pikachu for the millionth time.

"Man, that's good!" Ash comments, enjoying the treat.

"Pika!" Pikachu enjoys some too.

"It is good to relax after all that commotion. So you guys seem pretty eager for the tournament!" Serena turns her attention to Jason and Jake, sitting on the other side of the table.

"Heh… Y-yeah! It's gonna be awesome! Finally get to fight!" Jake grins, getting over his shy nature a bit.

"Yup! So! Are you gonna join too?" Jason asks Serena.

"Huh?!" Serena asks, confused by the question.

"Well, you know there's two divisions right? Or did I not tell you? I might have forgotten to mention it. But yeah, there's two divisions, one for the guys, and one for the girls too!" Jason explains.

"Yeah! Got guys and girls signing up a bunch, so they made two Divisions. Same rules for both, pretty much." Jake chimes in.

"Really? Here that Serena? You should enter too! Be awesome to see you fighting too! Wonder how you'd do?" Ash once again speaks before thinking.

"Eh heh… That's alright. Seems a little rough for my tastes." Serena replies.

"Serena fighting? Now that would be something to see!" Bonnie remarks.

"What's that supposed to mean?!" Serena looks over at the younger girl.

"Well, you don't really come across as the kind who would roughhouse like that." Bonnie continues, referring to Serena's more delicate nature that comes across.

"Bonnie! Be nice!" Clemont shushes his younger sister.

"Hm! I'm plenty tough I'll have you know! Besides, I'm on a Pokemon journey, and I don't even know how to fight really. So why would I?" Serena reasons.

"So what if you don't know how to fight? That's not stopping these two in our division !" Ash points to Richie and Jake.

"Hey!" Richie glares at Ash.

"What's that supposed to mean?!" Jake adds in.

"Maybe. I just don't see why I would want to." Serena rolls her eyes.

"You know, there is one girl fighter who's become pretty famous. She's even won the last couple female divisions easily, holding the championship for them!" Jake shares some of his tournament trivia with them.

"There is?" Serena perks up a bit.

Just then, they notice a commotion at the entrance, when a familiar pink-haired girl with a bandaid on her nose suddenly slams the door behind her. She's wearing a sleeveless shirt and what looks to be white karate gi pants, along with some sneakers. Out of breath, she looks like she's been running from something.

SLAM!

"Huff… Huff… Sheesh, can't a girl get some privacy around here? Go away! I'm just trying to grab a treat! Only been in town for a half hour and they're already hounding me…" says the girl.

Noticing the new arrival, Ash's attention perks up as he begins to recognize her from his previous travels.

"What? Hey! I know her!" Ash leaves the table and runs over to greet her.

"Pika!" Pikachu leaps off the table and follows him.

In typical fashion, Ash immediately calls over to her before he catches up.

"Hey!" Ash shouts, not exactly being subtle.

"Hm? Oh! Ash! My, I wasn't expecting to meet you here!" the girl says.

"Maylene! I haven't seen you since I battled you back in Sinnoh! How are you?!" Ash shouts.

"Pika!" Pikachu perks up at seeing another old friend.

"Heh! As energetic as ever! Well, I'd be doing better if these media guys would leave me alone!" Maylene nods over her shoulder to the small crowd outside.

"What are they here for?" Ash wonders aloud.

Back at the table, the others take notice of Maylene.

"Gah! Th-that's her! She's the female division champ I was talking about a few seconds ago! Maylene! She's even a gym leader from Sinnoh!" Jake tells the others.

"Wow, she's here already!" Jason says.

"Looks like she's pretty popular!" Serena states the obvious.

"Well she is like, a force in the ring! Not only is she a renowned gym leader back in Sinnoh, but over here, we've seen her fight in the Grand Prix, and she's really good! Some of her matches didn't last long until a KO even! People have called her a prodigy even! She sailed through last year's division practically!" Jake continues.

"You know a lot about this." Bonnie comments.

"That's Jake for you, he knows a lot about the Grand Prix and some of the more famous fighters too!" Jason chuckles.

Maylene and Ash continue to catch up.

"So what have you been up to?" Maylene asks Ash.

"Oh you know travelling around, challenging Pokemon leagues. I came close in the Sinnoh and Unova leagues. Didn't quite make it all the way, but I met a lot of awesome people and Pokemon along the way! Now I'm challenging the Kalos league. Of course I'm making a detour to compete in the Trainer Fight Grand Prix now! Thought it would be great if I did some fighting for a change, so I signed up!" Ash explains quickly.

"You have been busy! Well, I've been holding down the gym back at Sinnoh. And defending my title here in the female division. I come here to fight once a year! It's a great challenge, and I've met some pretty tough opponents in the ring too! It's good to watch others competing too when I'm not in the ring. Not often it's you doing the fighting and not your Pokemon. A good test of endurance and skill." Maylene responds.

"Looks like you're pretty popular too!" Ash says.

"You could say that. I guess I've become like one of the celebrities around here or something. Makes it hard to have some time to myself. Even when I just want to grab a quick treat." Maylene sighs.

Finishing their treats, Serena and the others walk over and to join Ash and Maylene.

"And here's some of my friends! Maylene, this is Clemont, his little sister Bonnie, and Serena. I'm travelling with them right now. Guys, this is Maylene! She's a gym leader I met and battled back in Sinnoh. And she's even a famous fighter around here too!" Ash introduces everyone.

"Hello!" Clemont greets her.

"Hi!" Bonnie grins.

"Pleased to meet you!" Serena says.

"Likewise. You do make a lot of friends wherever you go Ash." Maylene says.

"What about us?" Richie asks as he, Jason, and Jake join them.

"Oh! And this is Richie and his Pikachu Sparky! He's an old friend from Kanto! And he's Jason and his cousin, Jake! They're all gonna be fighting in the guy's division like me too! Guys, this is Maylene! " Ash introduces the rest of them.

"Hi!" Richie says.

"Chu!" Sparky smiles.

"Hello! W-we've seen you fight before! It's awesome to finally meet you in person! I remember the one time you won a match with a flying uppercut! And another one you did with a spinning roundhouse kickake quickly says, apparently nervous to meet a 'celebrity'.

"Good to meet you all, and apparently a fan too!" Maylene nods.

"Same here! My cousin's something of a big fan. Plus he's a little shy sometimes." Jason adds.

"That's alright. So it's cool you're all entering the tournament. I expect to see some good fights from each of you. You're all joining right? What about you, Clemont?" Maylene asks.

"Eh?! Er no… Fighting's not really my thing, but I may come up with some inventions to help the others train! I'm more of a support from the sidelines kind of guy." Clemont answers.

"I see. And what about you, Serena was it? Are you going to enter the female division?" Maylene asks her.

"I don't think so, I mean that's really not my kind of thing… I'm not exactly the strongest person either." Serena anwers.

"You sure? I've seen fighters from all backgrounds. Never judge a book by its appearance. Who knows? Maybe you'd surprise yourself!" Maylene remarks.

"Hm…" Serena looks like she's thinking it over.

"Well! Was nice seeing you again, Ash! And Serena, if I see you in the ring, watch out! Later!" Maylene turns to order her ice cream.

"Uh, yeah sure…" Serena responds, not quite knowing what to say.

"Well that was cool meeting another friend like that! Guess people do come from far and wide for this tournament after all!" Ash states.

"When does the tournament start exactly?" Clemont asks.

"Well, it starts in five days! That's just enough time to get some training in, get in fighting shape!" Jason answers. (There'll be a timeskip along the way for it to start soon.)

"And both the male and female divisions start around the same time too! Registration continues over the next couple of days." Jake explains.

"Might not be a bad idea to get some more sparring in, then." Ash shows a rare moment of wisdom.

"Pika!" Pikachu chirps in agreement.

"Hm… So if somebody, say wanted to join, there's still time!" Serna blurts out.

"Yeah… Why?" Jake wonders aloud.

"Oh you know, just curious… " *Do I really want to do this? Would be different, but maybe I could handle it. I am travelling and trying new things after all…* Serena says and then thinks to herself as she begins to consider entering the tournament herself. (Might this be foreshadowing? We'll see…)

After finishing, the group tries to decide what to next to prepare for the upcoming tournament. Jason offers some more insight into what fighters can do before the official start of the Grand Prix.

"You know, leading up to the tournament, you can not only spar, but have actual fights too. Where you and your opponent go at it until a KO, like an official match in the Grand Prix! I was having one when you guys saw me earlier! I knocked out Jimmy after a good fight. It can be a good idea to have one, get you used to fighting in the ring for real before it actually starts." Jason suggests.

"That did look like a rough match you had. You got a little banged up yourself!" Ash recalls.

"Well, Jimmy's a tough opponent! But I did beat him, didn't I?" Jason defends his earlier performance.

"That was quite a battle from the looks of it!" Clemont nods.

"Yeah!" Bonnie agrees.

"Kind of like a preview of things to come." *But should I?* Serena chimes in, while still considering the idea.

"So, we can spar and have real fights? Hm… Sounds like a great idea! I know I'm itching to get in the ring! The sooner I'm in a real match, the better! Yeah, think I'll do a real fight!" Ash says, standing up and pumping his fists in the air.

"Uh oh. He's got that look again…" Clemont sighs.

"He's a one track mind." Bonnie shakes her head.

"Pika Pika…" Pikachu agrees, like 'You don't know the half of it!'

Taken off guard by Ash's willingness to jump headfirst into a match, Jason tries to offer a suggestion.

"Okay… You're certainly chomping at the bit! Well! If you're going to have a real fight, you'll need to find an opponent. Then you'll need to find a ring. Plus you've got to record who wins the match. It won't really count towards your standing in the Grand Prix, but like I said, doesn't hurt to get some real experience beforehand. Now if you're looking for an opponent, I could help…" Jason tries to suggest.

"Oh, I've got somebody in mind alright! And he's sitting at this table right now!" Ash confidently shouts.

"He is?! Who? You don't mean me, do you Ash? I'm not ready to have a real match right away. I mean we just had a spar and all." Richie tries to explain.

"I think he means…" Jason tries to say, and he's got a grin saying 'I accept your challenge!'.

"I'm talking about you!" Ash points to…

"W-what?! You want to fight me?! I-in an actual match?! *Gulp!*" Jake has a huge wide eyed look of surprise, not believing what's happening!

"Yeah! I want to fight you, Jake! Come on! I heard you've been wanting to fight! And I was the one that ran into you to help you get signed up in the first place! Only natural that I'd be your first opponent!" Ash tries to come up with some weird logic for it.

"Hold on a sec! You really want to fight my cousin?! He hasn't been in a fight before! You sure about this?" Jason asks.

"Definitely! Come on! It'll be fun! We can see how well you do in an actual match! Best practice is to jump head first into something! Yeah!" Ash laughs.

"That doesn't always end too well…" Bonnie sighs.

"So what do you say?" Ash asks again.

"Some things never change with you, Ash." Richie smiles and shakes his head.

"Chu!" Sparky says.

"Well… I do want to be in a fight… O-okay! Yeah! I'll do it! I'll f-fight you Ash! You've got yourself a match!" Jake nervously agrees to the match, starting to come around to the idea.

"Great! I know it'll be an awesome battle too!" Ash says. Then he grabs Jake's hand and shakes it energetically to signify their agreement.

"Gyah! Right! So when do we want to fight? I mean, we could do it tomorrow or…" Jake says.

"How about right now?! Let's go!" Ash grabs Jake by the arm and drags him toward the exit and out the door. (Poor kid. Lol)

"Ack! Wait?! I mean… Now?! Hey!" Jake tries to protest to no effect.

"Pika!" Pikachu facepalms and chases after the two.

"Wait for me! And don't worry cuz! I'm sure you'll do great! I'll be in your corner all the way!" Jason follows, apparently in the same frame of mind as Ash.

"Looks like there's gonna be a fight now! Come on guys!" Richie says, with Sparky following behind.

"Pika!" Sparky says.

"Well, this should be interesting to see. I can get some readings on their performance during a fight too!" Clemont produces a camcorder device to analyze the upcoming match.

"Good old Ash!" Bonnie chuckles as they leave.

"Yeah… Um, listen guys, I think I might have left something at the Pokemon Center! You go on ahead and I'll catch up!" Serena says, walking in the other direction.

"Okay!" Clemont confirms as he leaves.

*Okay. Can't believe I'm doing this, but I'm off to register to fight in the female division! I mean, I can do this! Can't I? Oh it's so embarrassing, but I want to try it! I'll tell the others later!* Serena thinks to herself, as she secretly goes to enter the tournament herself!

(Looks like we'll be seeing a full on fight sooner than expected! Ash is raring to go, and itching to fight! But can Jake hold his own, being dragged into a match so soon? Will people ever stop dragging him into things? And what about Serena? Will she do well in the tournament? And what will the others think? The answers to these and more, so stay tuned!)

TO BE CONTINUED!


	6. Chapter 6: FIGHT! Ash vs Jake!

Finally! This is the first real fight of the story! Ash and Jake go head to head in a fight to the finish! Who will be left standing? Read on and find out!

* * *

Chapter 6: Fierce Fight! Ash vs. Jake!

Ash and Jake are both changed into their shorts and gloves, standing ringside before their first official fight. Yellow for Ash, and Jake in blue. Ash is ready to charge in and duke it out, while Jake still seems a little nervous at having been dragged into a real fight sooner than expected!

"Aw yeah! This is gonna be awesome! Finally going to have a real match!" Ash throws a couple quick jabs in the air.

"You're ready to rumble, I'd say! I'll be recording the fight too, so we can analyze it for your strengths and weaknesses." Clemont explains as he readies his camcorder.

"This should be something alright! Wonder how long it'll last?" Bonnie wonders aloud.

"Pika Pika!" Pikachu looks up at Ash, nodding his confidence in him.

"I know you can do it, Ash! Show that kid how it's done! Give him the old one two!" Richie encourages Ash.

"Chu!" Sparky likewise provides support.

A few feet away, Jason provides some much needed last minute words of advice for Jake.

"Okay cuz. You got this! Now I know you're a little nervous, but when we sparred earlier you did great! Surprised me even! Just need to be like that, take the fight to him!" Jason says.

"Th-thanks. Can't believe I'm in my first match so soon! I've been wanting to fight yeah, but now?! I haven't exactly had time to get ready!" Jake remarks.

"Well you got your wish! Heh! And this is what you've been wanting for a while, isn't it? Life comes at you fast sometimes! And I know you can handle challenges." Jason eyes him.

"Rrr…" Tryantrum grunts its agreement.

"W-well… Yeah, it is. Right! Now's my time!" Jake manages to smile and bops his gloves together, signaling he's ready to go.

"That's the spirit!" Jason gives his thumbs up.

"Yup! Hey Ash!" Jake calls over to Ash.

"What?" Ash responds.

"Y-you better be ready to lose! I'm gonna knock you out!" Jake starts some trash talk.

"Oh yeah?! Heh! Good to see you're ready! You're going down! I'll show you my special punches! I've been working on some for just this match! Hope you'll survive! Alright!" Ash nods.

"Pika…" Pikachu facepalms, thinking 'Not this again…'.

"You're the one who's history!" Jake retorts .

"Okay! Enough sorry attempts at trash talk, please. Get in the ring you two!" Jason motions for them to climb into the ring to get things underway and stop sounding goofy.

Soon Ash and Jake are standing in the middle of the ring, with Jason between them, acting as referee. Pikachu is in Ash's corner on his seat, and Jake's Tyrantrum is standing right behind Jake's corner (he's too big to fit in that part of the ring.)

"I'll act as referee since I have some actual fighting experience. I think you two know the rules, since this is an official Trainer Fight. It's just you two, no help from Pokemon or other outside interference. Almost anything goes, punches, kicks, whatever. No time limit, and you fight until one of you is knocked out. Don't pull any punches. Questions?" Jason reviews the rules as the referee.

"Nope! I'm ready to rumble!" Ash throws a couple quick jabs and bounces on his feet.

"I'm ready to go too!" Jake responds, a big smile starting to come to his face, he's apparently more eager to go then he was letting on.

Ringside, Clemont, Bonnie, Dedenne, Richie, and Sparky all wait for the bell to start the action.

"This ought to be good! Ash is ready to go, as usual." Richie sighs.

"Chu!" Sparky adds.

"I'm rolling! We'll be able to play it back too, and I've even added a feature that can slow it down or zoom in too." Clemont explains, adjusting his camera device.

"Wonder how Ash is gonna do?" Bonnie wonders.

"Denne!" Dedenne pops out of her bag and chimes in.

Back in the ring, Ash and Jake ready for the bell. They both get their gloves up and stare each other down. And….

DING!

The bell rings to start the match! Time to fight!

"FINALLY! Time for my first real fight!" Jake suddenly perks up, ready to go!

"Alright! Let's do this! I'll.." Ash starts to say, readying to attack when…

DASH!

Jake suddenly charges at Ash, going on the offensive right away!

"Take this!" Jake shouts as he zeroes in on Ash!

POW!

The first hit of the fight! Jake hits Ash's face with a big right straight punch! The blow causes knocks his head back, and the attack catches Ash completely off guard! He stumbles back a couple steps in surprise, registering what just happened.

"Aarggh! What the-?! Ouch! Wow, guess you're not so quiet when you're in the ring! That had some hit to it!" Ash compliments Jake as he rubs his sore cheek.

"There we go!" Jason nods, knowing that his cousin would once again snap into fighting mode once in the ring.

Ringside, the others react to the opening punch.

"Huh?! Where'd that come from? That the same kid who was afraid not too long ago?" Richie says, wide eyed in surprise.

"I didn't see that coming!" Clemont comments.

"It's so like Ash to leave himself open too. Come on Ash, you do have boxing experience, remember!" Richie shouts to Ash.

"Pika!" Pikachu shouts, like 'Get it together!'.

In the ring, the action continues.

"Yeah! I always wanted to fight! So of course I'm ready to! And…" Jake starts to add.

POW!

THUMP!

But Ash takes advantage of his distraction and runs up to him, hitting Jake in the face with a hard right hook and a quick left jab to the stomach, sending him reeling!

"Uuuungh! Oooff!" Jake grunts from the hits, and bends over, the air temporarily knocked out of him.

"Ooh! Need to keep your guard up!" Jason says, at his cousin taking the two hits.

"Cough! Cough! Ooow! I'm okay!" Jake catches his breath.

"Have some of this too!" Ash shouts as he continues his attack! Look out!

Ash hits Jake with a quick right hook to the cheek, a left jab to the chest, and a right uppercut to the chin! A three punch combo! Guess Ash does have some boxing knowhow!

POW!

BLAM!

KAPOW!

"Uuuuunghh! Aarrgh! Uuuuhhh!" Jake yells from the impacts of the punches! The attack sends him stumbling back into the ropes!

Ringside, the others are surprised at Ash's apparent skill.

"Wow! Guess Ash wasn't fooling around!" Richie exclaims.

"No kidding!" Bonnie adds.

"Pika!" Sparky cheers.

In the ring, Ash grins at another successful move.

"That's what I'm talking about! Eat this!" Ash gets a cocky grin and runs at Jake, ready to add some more!

DASH!

When Ash is close, he readies to throw another combo! However, Jake steadies himself and puts on a serious face. Seeing Ash coming at him, he readies his counter…

"Yaaahh!" Ash yells, and comes at Jake with a big but messy right hook aimed at the face!

SWISH!

But Jake manages to duck the rather sloppy swing, practically telegraphed.

"Not this this time! Hya!" Jake cries!

POW!

Jake comes up with a hard right punch to Ash's stomach!

WHUMP!

"Uungh!" Ash cries form the hit, catching him off guard, and he loses his balance for a few seconds.

"Gotcha!" Jake puts on a big smile and presses the attack!

POW!

BLAM!

WHOK!

And Jake tosses a left hook to the face, a right straight to the chest, and tops it off by clipping Ash's chin with a quick left uppercut! The punches are pretty amateur and a bit sloppy, but they still get the job done!

"Ooof! Aaargh! Uuuh!" Ash shouts as the punches land, unable to respond with his own!

"Yeah! I-I did it! I landed a combo! Yeah!" Jake cheers at his successful attack.

In Ash's corner Pikachu shouts out, trying to cheer Ash on to snap out of it!

"Chu! Pika Chu!" Pikachu calls out to Ash.

Ringside, Ash's friends also yell his name.

"Come on Ash! I know you've been in some tough spots before!" Richie calls out.

"Go Ash!" Bonnie cheers.

Back in the mix, Ash hears Pikachu and the others! He finally snaps back to attention!

"Guys! Take this!" Ash shouts as he counters!

Ash steps toward Jake and tosses a couple jabs to his face and a big right cross to his ribs. Another combo! Ouch!

WHOK!

BLAM!

KAPOW!

"Urrk! Uuungh! Aaagh!" Jake grunts as the hits make their mark, leaving him with a black right eye.

Jake stumbles back a few steps, wobbly on his feet from the hits. While he's stunned, Ash presses the attack!

DASH!

"Here's some more!" Ash shouts as he smiles confidently and keeps up the pressure!

Ash throws a big left cross to Jake's cheek, followed by a right jab to the stomach, and ending with a big left haymaker to the face!

POW!

WHUMP!

WHABAM!

"Urgh! Agh! Uuunnghhh! Ohhh…." Jake shouts as he takes the hits.

THUD!

And Jake falls to the canvas! A knockdown!

"Whoa! Hold on!" Jason moves over to start a count, but…

"I-I can… Ow! Still fight!" Jake says as he manages to get back up to his feet.

Ringside, they comment on the action.

"Wow! That was some attack!" Richie remarks.

"Chu!" Sparky concurs.

"That was some combo alright! I'll have to play that back later!" Clemont nods.

Back in Jake's corner, his Tyrantrum roars out some much needed support.

"Raarr!" Tyrantrum cheers him on! Ash isn't the only one with a cheering section!

In the ring, Jason notices his cousin coming around.

"Yeah cuz!" Jason cheers. So much for an unbiased referee. Lol

The match gets back on track, with Jake finally coming to his senses. He gets his gloves back up, ready to fight on, and wary of taking any more big hits.

"You got me with that one, but I'm not done yet!" Jake says, putting on his game face.

"Still got more, eh? Fine by me! Come on!" Ash grins.

"You asked for it! Yaaah!" Jake charges at Ash with a yell that would make his Tyrantrum proud.

DASH!

"Still think that…" Ash tries to say, but…

POW!

WHAM!

THWOK!

KABLAM!

Jake catches Ash in the nose by snapping a quick left jab! Then he continues with a right hook to the ribs, a left jab to the stomach, and finishes off a double punch from both gloves to the chest, knocking him back!

"Oof! Gyah! Oof! Aaaagghh!" Ash shouts.

Ash falls into the ropes behind him! He grabs onto the top rope to hold himself up as he shakes it off.

Back in Jake's corner, Tryantrum cheers his trainer on, having gained the upper hand!

"Rarr!" he roars.

Back in the ring, Ash recovers from the attack and gets back in the game.

"Gyah! Huff…. Wow! Not bad!" Ash smirks.

"Pika!" Pikachu calls out to him, cheering Ash on.

"Yeah… I'm not finished yet!" Ash gets back to his feet and brings his gloves up again.

"Heh! You're pretty tough!" Jake shouts.

"So are you! Not bad for a first timer!" Ash compliments him.

"Hm! I think I can do this! Time to knock you out!" Jake yells as he runs over to Ash!

DASH!

"Just try it!" Ash puts on a serious face and likewise runs right at Jake!

DASH!

POW!

POW!

The two fighters collide with a crosscounter as they each hit each other in the face with a left and right hook! Crash!

"Guh!" Ash grunts.

"Copycat!" Jake mutters.

"Eat this!" Ash bring his right glove back and hits Jake with a right cross to the face!

POW!

"Urgh! No more playing around! Yah!" Jake charges at Ash again!

DASH!

POW!

POW!

POW!

And he lands a few messy but effective windmill punches on Ash's chest!

"Ooof! Hey! Agh! Ungh!" Ash shouts during the barrage. He manages to step away and escape further attacks for a moment.

Ringside they once again comment on the action…

"Man this is getting pretty rough! A regular fight to the finish!" Richie remarks.

"Wonder who'll come out on top at this rate?" Clemont wonders.

In the ring, Ash and Jake start to show signs that they're on their last legs, so to speak.

"Huff… Huff… Whoa… This is harder than thought it would be. Heh!" Ash grins goofily, coming to realize he underestimated how rough a fight would be.

"Huff… You're telling me!" Jake smiles and nods.

"But now it's time to take you down! Raaah!" Ash runs forward a bit and tackles Jake!

KRASH!

"Wh- Ooof!" Jake says as he's thrown back a couple steps. He comes to a stop at one of the corner posts! Uh oh!

"Nowhere to go! Yeah!" Ash runs at him and throws a barrage of punches.

POW!

POW!

THOK!

WHUMP!

KABLAM!

Ash throws a mix of jabs to the face, a hook to the stomach, an uppercut to the chin, and a left cross right to the face!

"Aaagh! Uuunngh! Uuuhh! Ooohh…" Jake says from the combo's hit. He's a bit dazed from the attack and wobbly on his feet!

"Heh! Looks like you're just about finished! Time to wrap this up!" Ash says as he moves in with a cocky grin!

"No…" Jake says as he sways, trying to stay on his feet, when suddenly…

STOMP!

He accidentally steps on Ash's toes on his right foot! Ouch! Talk about bad timing!

"Yeowch! Ow! Ow! Ow!" Ash starts hopping around, holding his sore foot, forgetting about the fight for a minute.

Ringside everyone facepalms at the turn of events.

"What's going on?" Bonnie asks.

"That's a good question…" Clemont shakes his head.

Back in the ring, Jake finally snaps to and sees an opening! It's now or never!

"Huh? Alright! Yeaah!" Jake runs forward, quickly, bringing his right glove in front of him to hit Ash!

KATHUMP!

The hit catches Ash in the stomach, knocking the wind out of him! Ooh!

"Cough! Cough!" Ash reacts.

"Some more!" Jake presses on!

POW!

KAPOW!

Jake tosses a couple hooks to Ash's face, sending him back a bit.

"Aagh! Uuuh! Huff…" Ash is stunned by the attack!

"NOW! I…!" Jake begins to yell!

WHAM!

He tosses a left haymaker to Ash's cheek!

"Oof!" Ash grunts.

"WILL!" Jake continues.

KAPOW!

"Aargh!" Ash shouts.

"WIN!" Jake yells as he leaps forward and comes down at Ash with his right glove extended!

KRAPOW!

And it connects with a big right cross to Ash's face! That had to hurt!

"Uuuuungggh! I- Oohhhh…." Ash groans after the collision. He looks pretty wobbly on his feet, and then…

KATHUD!

Ash suddenly falls to the canvas! He's out like a light and unconscious! A knockout!

"Whoa…! You did it cuz! Er, I mean, winner by way of knockout, Jake!" Jason holds up Jake's right hand in victory!

DING! DING!

"Hm? I-I won? I WON! I did it! Woohoo! Um, I mean yeah! I actually got a KO!" Jake cheers and jumps up, happy at his first victory! The win has caused him to come out of his shell a little and be a little more emotional then normal.

Ringside, they see the result…

"Well, that was… Different. I guess Ash lost though. Probably should have kept his guard up more. Some things never change…" Richie laughs.

"Chu!" Sparky says.

In Ash's corner Pikachu sighs, his master having lost a close fight.

"Pika…" Pikachu smiles and sighs. You win some, you lose some!

In Jake's corner, Tyrahtrum lets out a big roar of victory!

"Roaarr!" Tyrantrum cheers!

Soon, Jake finishes celebrating his victory and…

"Okay! Huff… Um, is Ash alright? I can help out! Least I can do after all. Heh!" Jake offers to help Ash up and out of the ring.

"Thanks! And congrats on the win by the way! You did really well for your first time! Quite a surprise!" Richie says as he helps Ash up.

"Yeah, I surprised myself too. Not sure what came over me." Jake blushes a bit.

"You're a fighter, that's what! Always knew you had it in you cuz!" Jason playfully tousles Jake's hair.

"I guess. And I'm ready for the tournament! I- Ouch!" Jake tries to boast, but his body reminds him he's still beat up for the moment.

"Maybe it's better if you take it easy for while. You two really did go at it! I got some good footage, and we could probably use it to help train you and Ash later!" Clemont offers analysis.

"That was crazy! You two went nuts! I'm surprised you were still standing after some of that!" Bonnie chimes in.

"Well, it was a fight. Now we know what to expect… I'm gonna need some practice." Jake says.

"And I'll help you all the way!" Jason winks.

Just then, Serena arrives back on the scene, having registered in secret. Fashionably late!

"Hi! I'm back! And found my um, bag! And – whoa! Ash looks all beat up! He's knocked out?! I guess I did miss something!" Serena sees she missed all the action.

"Yeah, we'll tell you all about it later! It was something alright. To say the least." Richie explains.

(Well that was quite the first fight for both of them! For a couple novices they sure went at it! Turned into a bit of a brawl, and ended with a KO to top it off! And that's just the first match! There's more to come! And when will Serena tell the others she registered to fight too? How far will Ash and friends make it in the upcoming Grand Prix? The answers to these and more next time! Stay tuned!)

TO BE CONTINUED!


End file.
